The following is a guest post by Kyle Simpson. If you would like to Guest Post on this blog, please contact me.

Some people just seem to have a better grasp of the English language than others.  Whether they know grammar, spelling, and punctuation like the back of their hands or they have a proven ability to turn a phrase, they can inform, influence, and inspire with their work.  And yet, a strong background in poetry, prose, or even technical writing does not necessarily ensure the ability to make a living with your craft.

So, here are 5 simple tips to help you get it together and adapt your writing style in such a way as to provide for a viable occupation.

1. Try everything.  You won’t really know what you’re capable of until you try, so get your hands on all kinds of work.  Write for publications and blogs with all different subjects, try your hand at marketing or advertising, create an e-zine, or pen some technical service manuals.  The ability to diversify will only make you more marketable (and it will help you figure out what you excel at and what you might want to avoid).
2. Join a service.  As a freelance writer, you will spend a lot of time hustling for jobs and fielding rejections.  This can be extremely disheartening.  To avoid some of the hassle, join a free website like Elance or ODesk that allows you to create a profile (that companies seeking service can peruse) and apply for jobs posted by their patrons.  If you get good reviews and offer a variety of samples, you may soon notice that you receive enough offers to keep you busy indefinitely.
3. Keep learning.  The best writers hone their style through both research and practice, so don’t be too hasty to rest on your laurels.  Just because blogging is big right now doesn’t mean it will keep you employed for the next ten years, so make sure you learn the ins and outs of different types of writing so that you have something to fall back on if the bottom of your bread-and-butter workload suddenly drops out.
4. Be professional.  This means you deliver what the client wants and exercise due diligence to ensure that your submissions meet their standards.  For example, an informative article written for a celebrity blog (think TMZ) is probably not suitable as a press release (even if they contain the same basic information).  And if you can’t tell the difference in style, you are going to be hard pressed to expand your business.  So put in the time to learn various formats so the client isn’t forced to explain your job to you (or give you the send-off).
5. Own it.  Your skill with language and proactive attitude will help you land jobs.  But it’s the personal flair you add to your work that will interest people in hiring you again and again.  Putting your personal stamp on your writing is what makes it desirable, so don’t be afraid to own it.  All famous writers are recognizable in their way.  For example, you wouldn’t confuse Stephen King with Edgar Allan Poe, or Jane Austen with J.K. Rowling.  In the long run, a signature style will get you a lot further than dotting the “i”s and crossing the “t”s.

About the Author: Kyle Simpson writes for Medical Coding Certification where you can find more information about a career and training in the medical field.

Freelance work from home isn’t a new concept by any means. There are many freelancers that enjoy spending the day at home doing various work for different clients. The internet has made this possibility even more of a reality for many people.

Basically, if you have  a specific skill or skill set, there’s no reason why you can’t find freelance work from home. If you have a particular interest or are very knowledgeable in a specific area, chances are that you can get paid to render your services in that area.

You might be saying you don’t have any skills or aren’t qualified in any specific area, so finding freelance work from home is out of the question. Well, the fact that you’re reading this proves that theory wrong. Even if you have basic computer skills, which I’m assuming you do, you may just find someone that is need of your knowledge.

Even so, there’s quick ways to learn and get the knowledge necessary to render services for others in a specific area. You could take an online course for an area of interest and get certified. This is what I did after I lost my job over a year ago. It has paid off very well and is well worth it.

One website where you can get such training and take an online course is UniversalClass.com. Here they offer classes for just about any subject, and after completion, you’ll be certified and have the knowledge necessary. The next step after that will be to get some experience.

To get your feet wet and eventually do freelance work from home full-time, you’ll need to find a constant stream of work. This can be a bit challenging to say the least. Fortunately, there are websites that connect freelance service providers with people looking for freelancers.

List of freelance sites to check out:

• GetAFeelancer.com
• IFreelance.com
• ODesk.com
• Elance.com
• RentaCoder.com

This isn’t an all-inclusive list of feelance sites, but this will give you a good start to find freelance work. I’m a member of a few, but I’ll be honest, I have yet to get any work through these sites. I get most of my work through forums.

Forums can be a great place to find freelance work from home. It might be a little unorthodox or different than what you’re used to, but this is how I get all of my freelance work. There are many benefits to this avenue.

With forums, you don’t have to spend time bidding on projects that appeal to you. This can be time-consuming, and with a hundred other competitors all bidding on the same project, the chances of winning the project aren’t very good.

If you already have the experience then being seen as an expert in your field won’t be difficult. Just back up your claims with real testimonials from satisfied customers/clients. Notice I said “real” testimonials… that’s very important. You never want to fake testimonials for any reason.

Forums usually have an area to advertise for a product or service. Use this to your advantage to get your name out there. If you have to, do some work for free in exchange for some testimonials. You may just gain a regular client from it in the process.

Adding a link in your forum signature to a web page that describes what you do and the services you offer is another benefit to take advantage of. This can get you good exposure, and anyone interested will click on the link and may just become a new client.

For me, the services I offer are appealing to the members of the various forums I’m a member of. So for me, this strategy is very advantageous.

Regardless of how you find freelance work from home, online or offline, just know that it’s a great way to earn money and work from home.

What are some ways you go about finding freelance work, whether it’s online or offline?